Kim Kardashian Is Creating A New Brand In Partnership With Nike
In yet another shrewd move, Kim Kardashian is teaming up with Nike to launched a new brand: NikeSKIMS.
The news was teased yesterday with little more than a vague launch date of spring 2025, a logo and a press release, in which the powerhouse duo promises to, ‘disrupt the global fitness and activewear industry.' Given SKIMS' impressive growth since it launched six years ago (the company is now estimated to be worth $4 billion), we have no doubt they can do just that.
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NikeSKIMS is yet to reveal any part of the collection, but we can expect training apparel, footwear and accessories. 'This partnership is the culmination of that shared vision, delivering product that is meticulously designed to sculpt and perform for every body. Every single detail has been obsessed over and carefully considered,' says Kim Kardashian, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of SKIMS.
Of course, this isn't Kim's first foray into sportswear. In 2024, SKIMS became the official underwear partner for the NBA, WNBA and USA Basketball. The shapewear brand dressed Team USA for the Tokyo Olympics back in 2021. Her collaboration with The North Face in December 2024 was a sell-out success. We should have expected something like NikeSKIMS from the forever shapeshifting Kardashian.
NikeSKIMS is a ‘more than a partnership’, the team are keen to stress. This is a whole new brand, not a limited edition capsule collection. A brand that will merge ‘NIKE, Inc.’s world-class approach to advanced innovation, sport science and athlete insights with SKIMS’ obsession for the female form and pioneering pursuit of solutions for every body.’
The phrase 'every body’ is key here. In a world where Lululemon stereotypes depicted in pop culture are always of a certain heritage, body shape and class (think Fleishman Is In Trouble vibes), activewear can sometimes feel exclusive. Where SKIMS made waves in 2019 was with its incredible array of sizes and shades for every skin tone. Kim K paved the way for a whole new take on basics and the world soon fell in line behind her.
Nike could use a little of Kimmy's magic it seems, given recent profits. The sportswear mogul – which has dominated sportswear since 1985 – did see a slight downturn in sales in the last quarter of 2024. This seems surprising, given the rise and rise of athleisurewear and loungewear since lockdown. Are brands like Adanola, Alo Yoga, LuluLemon and Vuori to blame? Or have we blurred the boundaries between active- and ready-to-wear so much that the old school performance brands feel misplaced? Either way, new CEO Elliott Hill has thought on his feet by turning to SKIMS – because if anyone can inject a little aestheticism into technical pieces, its Kim K and SKIMS co-founder Jens Grede.
The duo took on the shapewear brief when everyone else thought it had long been 'completed' by Spanx (a British brand immortalised on-screen in the first Bridget Jones film). Soon, their engineered knits, that both controlled and contoured the body, while feeling more comfortable and less restrictive than competitors’ offerings, were redefining the space. Kim and her then-husband Kanye West’s had already revolutionised the colour ‘nude’ – her through pap shots of her carefully curated outfits and him through his brand Yeezy – which only added to the desirability of these basics when they launched in 2019. And nearly six years on, the magic of this simple aesthetic hasn’t waned: just last week Khloe Kardashian was seen wearing the brand’s signature bodysuits as a top with jeans in The Kardashians.
And if Kim can create this kind of buzz within undergarments, imagine what new, exciting and – frankly – sexy things are to come for her sportswear brand.
'We’re poised to create a new standard in the activewear market. This partnership will empower individuals to move with confidence and express themselves authentically, merging SKIMS' focus on body confidence and self-expression with Nike’s relentless pursuit of athletic excellence,' says Jens Grede.
NikeSKIMS will debut its first collection in the United States this Spring, available online and in select retail locations, with a global rollout planned for 2026. The ballpark price points are yet to be released, but the brand insists that this will be accessible.
'We’re incredibly excited to unveil our first collection this spring,' Kim Kardashian says.
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